Resources for the Filipino Diaspora
Filipino wherever, forever.
I’m honored that many Filipinos from the diaspora find much resonance in my research, perhaps as a way to reconnect with and preserve their cultural identity. I honestly did not expect this at first, since my work mainly focuses on the psychology of culturally-informed spiritual experiences. But it was because of these global connections that I was able to expand my work and to understand the various manifestations of “Filipino-ness” around the world. Eventually I realized that there is currently a global movement towards more inclusivity and representation, and the decades-old wisdom of the field of Sikolohiyang Pilipino (Filipino Psychology) can be revisited as a toolbox for personal and collective liberation.
Today, almost half of my followers on social media come from the United States. I am not in the diaspora—I’m a Filipino living in the Philippines. I don’t experience the everyday struggle of an ethnic minority. I know that I’m not the best person to speak for others, but I also acknowledge the need for more specific resources. Here are some good articles I’ve come across on this topic:
Almond N. Aguila, The Filipino, Diaspora and a Continuing Sense of Identity, 2015
Marc Agon Pacoma, Mapping the ‘Home’: A Literature Review on Filipino Migration and Diaspora, 2020.
E. San Juan, Jr., The Filipino Diaspora, 2001.
Maharaj Desai, Critical “Kapwa”: Possibilities of Collective Healing from Colonial Trauma, 2016.
Please remember that this is not the focus of my work, so I rely on the research of other social scientists and the anecdotes of those in the diaspora to tell me more about it. That said, I hope these articles give more context, or at the very least provide some comfort. There are millions of Filipinos around the world, which gives more nuance to what “Filipino-ness” can mean. As they say, “Pilipino kahit saan, kahit kailan!” (Filipino wherever, forever.)
Guide Questions
What are some cultural differences you’ve noticed in your particular context? How do these scenarios, behaviors, and attitudes make you feel?
In an increasingly globalized world, what, to you, is the importance of reconnecting with ancestral memory and authentic cultural values?
What does “authenticity” mean when it comes to preserving your “Filipino-ness”? How does this manifest in your appearance, beliefs and attitudes, and social interactions?
For more discussions on Filipino culture from a Filipino indigenous perspective, join our monthly lectures:
1. What are some cultural differences you’ve noticed in your particular context? How do these scenarios, behaviors, and attitudes make you feel?
I am not Filipino (Chinese, white, Native American —> me; wife <— Filipino). That said, what I’ve noticed from my vantage point as an outsider who lives in the U.S. and goes back “home” often (yes, I consider Philippines as home) is there’s both a connection and a disconnect between the Philippines and Filipinos in the diaspora, and it’s not as simple as being a Filipino in the Philippines or being a member of the diaspora; the Filipinos I know not in the Philippines have very different connections to the Philippines culture and homeland, some are Filipino Americans born in the U.S., some permanently immigrated out of the Philippines as adults or children, some are Overseas Filipino Workers, and this all changes their connection to and relationship with the Philippines. Yet, I see some definite cultural similarities (broadly speaking) like connections to spirits, gravitating towards mostly only ancestors with further distance from direct connections to the Philippines. Continuing with just spirits for context, how does these scenarios, behaviors, and attitudes make me feel? As a non-Filipino I just see differences would be the simple answer. A deeper answer leans more towards, I see opportunities where Filipinos around the world can connect on shared beliefs (they all understand the importance of ancestors) and I see opportunities for misunderstanding as some have broader or narrower views of what constitutes beliefs and attitudes towards spirits.
2. In an increasingly globalized world, what, to you, is the importance of reconnecting with ancestral memory and authentic cultural values?
This has more than one answer for me, why it’s important to me and then why it’s important as a family for my kid. For me, it’s been important to build connections with Filipino cultural values and build ancestral memories to better understand my wife’s connections. I cannot fully understand how she interacts with and navigates the world if I don’t understand her connections — and all this builds every time we talk about home, FaceTime home, and physically go home. This is also important to me because it intersects with my area of research — Filipino immigrant identity and experiences. As for my son, the ancestral memories and cultural values are important parts of his identity. It is easier (and because easier it’s sometimes done with less intention and less frequently) to introduce him to his American (Chinese, white, and Native American) ancestry and values; it is harder requiring more deliberate action on our part to build and maintain with connections to the Philippines (we only travel to the Philippines). For both of us, and for my wife, connection to direct memories and values is important in this globalizing world because it is too easy to “connect” with media (mass media, social media) versions of curated Filipino culture — I am not terribly worried about globalization ending ancestral memories and authentic cultural values in the Philippines; the memories will last as long as well maintain the stories, the culture will retain what is important to Filipinos in our specific period of time (cultural have always evolved and will continue to evolve).
3. What does “authenticity” mean when it comes to preserving your “Filipino-ness”? How does this manifest in your appearance, beliefs and attitudes, and social interactions?
“Authenticity” in culture is complicated, it can mean what is currently Filipino-ness, it could mean what was previously Filipino-ness (e.g., precolonial) but how does one determine which period in the past is the “authentic” Filipino? As for me, culture is what is right now, and authentic Filipino-ness becomes a broad and diverse statement (i.e., when we go home I navigate cultural differences between Ilocano, Pangasinense, and Sambal), and because of that diversity of “what is Filipino” and my own experiences with being mixed race in the United States, authenticity and preservation are often very personal images of oneself and who we see ourself in as well.
This is really helpful - thank you for writing this 🙏🏾